The present invention relates generally to the field of cleaning apparatus.
The present invention is primarily concerned with an improved apparatus and method for the cleaning of paint roller covers of the type in which a more or less flexible tubular liner of plastic, cardboard or other material is provided with a surrounding outer annular layer of absorbent fabric material that usually contains some type of fibers. Provision is usually made to enable these covers to be removed from the paint roller device, either for replacement or for the purpose of cleaning before they can be used again.
In the prior art the cleaning devices for the roller covers are classifiable into two general classes. One of these classes is exemplified, for example, by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,831,448; 3,431,574; and 4,061,153 wherein the cover is arranged to be openly confined within a closed container, and water or other paint solvent is flowed over the outer and inner exposed surfaces of the cover. The other class is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,230 which discloses an arrangement in which the cylindrical roller cover of absorbent material fits snugly into a cylindrical casing, and a plug is utilized to close the hollow center of the roller. The cleaning liquid is forced into one end of the casing and flows axially through only the absorbent material and out the other end of the casing.
The present invention seeks to provide an improved structure and method over that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,230 and includes a number of features which overcome a number of inherent operating disadvantages of the structural arrangement disclosed in this patent, and which may be noted as including:
1. The roller cover in this patent can only be inserted and removed from the cleaning liquid discharge end of the casing. Thus, during insertion of the cover into the snug fitting casing, the fibers of the absorbent layer will be angularly rearwardly deflected along the casing wall in such manner that there will be a tendency to direct the pressurized liquid supplied to the inlet end of the casing in an outward direction towards the casing wall, and by this action tend to impede the liquid flow and cause a non-uniform flow generally through the absorbent layer. Since provision is only made for removing the roller cover from the discharge end of the casing, in a direction opposed to the direction of insertion, the deflected fabric texture of the roller cover will tend to wedgingly oppose and make removal of the roller cover very difficult.
In the present invention the above noted disadvantages are minimized and corrected by providing an arrangement which permits the roller cover to be inserted into the casing at the liquid inlet end, and removed from the discharge end of the casing. Thus, the fabric of the absorbent material will be deflected along the casing wall in a direction towards the inlet for the supply of pressurized cleaning liquid, and will thus tend to guide the axial flow away from the casing wall and produce a more uniformly distributed axial flow of liquid through the layer of absorbent material. Moreover, in arranging for the removal of the cover from the discharge end of the casing in the same axial direction in which the cover was inserted, the wedging effect will be entirely eliminated.
2. A further disadvantage of the noted patent structure results from the provision of circumferentially spaced liquid outlet openings which are in communication with the adjacent end face of the annular layer of absorbent material of the roller cover. These outlet openings thus tend to separate the liquid flow at this end of the roller cover into discrete flow channels which are separated by non-flow portions which will not therefore be cleaned.
In the present invention the fluid at the discharge end of the roller absorbent layer is through an annular substantially unobstructed opening such that all portions of the roller cover at this end will be effectively subjected to the cleaning liquid.
3. The noted patent also has the further disadvantage in that the casing is restricted to use in a location where it can be connected at its inlet end by means of a connection fitting with a hose, faucet or the like to provide a pressurized cleaning liquid source, such as water.
In the present invention a unique arrangement is provided in which the casing with the inserted roller cover therein can be inverted and utilized in a piston-cylinder relationship with an open ended container for the cleaning liquid to force the cleaning liquid through the absorbent layer of the roller cover by relatively moving the casing into the container.